- A
Both routes are used for load balancing
Why wrong: BGP typically selects one best path unless equal-cost multipath is configured.
- B
The on-premises router will ignore MED and prefer the route with higher local preference
Why wrong: MED is considered after local preference, but local preference is not mentioned as different.
- C
The route advertised by Cloud Router
Why wrong: Only if it has lower MED; the question states the other path has lower MED.
- D
The route from the other path with lower MED
Lower MED is preferred.
Question 927 of 982
PCNE Practice Question: Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network
This PCNE practice question tests your understanding of designing, planning, and prototyping a gcp network. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An engineer configures a Cloud Router with BGP to advertise a custom learned route for 10.0.0.0/8 to an on-premises router. The on-premises router also receives the same prefix from another path with a lower MED. Which route will the on-premises router prefer?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The route from the other path with lower MED
BGP route selection prefers the lowest MED value among routes received from the same neighboring AS. Since the on-premises router receives 10.0.0.0/8 from two paths, and the other path has a lower MED, that route will be preferred. The Cloud Router's advertisement with a higher MED will be less preferred, making option D correct.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Both routes are used for load balancing
Why it's wrong here
BGP typically selects one best path unless equal-cost multipath is configured.
- ✗
The on-premises router will ignore MED and prefer the route with higher local preference
Why it's wrong here
MED is considered after local preference, but local preference is not mentioned as different.
- ✗
The route advertised by Cloud Router
Why it's wrong here
Only if it has lower MED; the question states the other path has lower MED.
- ✓
The route from the other path with lower MED
Why this is correct
Lower MED is preferred.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that MED is always compared regardless of AS path, but the trap here is that candidates forget MED is only considered when the routes originate from the same neighboring AS, leading them to incorrectly assume the Cloud Router's route is preferred or that both routes are used.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In BGP, MED (Multi-Exit Discriminator) is an optional non-transitive attribute used to influence inbound traffic to an AS. It is compared only when the routes are from the same neighboring AS (as per RFC 4271). The BGP best-path selection algorithm evaluates MED after weight, local preference, and AS path length. In practice, if the on-premises router receives the same prefix from two different ASes, MED is not compared, and the shortest AS path or other attributes would decide the winner.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PCNE question test?
Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network — This question tests Designing, Planning, and Prototyping a GCP Network — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The route from the other path with lower MED — BGP route selection prefers the lowest MED value among routes received from the same neighboring AS. Since the on-premises router receives 10.0.0.0/8 from two paths, and the other path has a lower MED, that route will be preferred. The Cloud Router's advertisement with a higher MED will be less preferred, making option D correct.
What should I do if I get this PCNE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This PCNE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PCNE exam.
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